SOMEONE BESIDE YOU

What is the human mind and how does it work? How does the mind behave in extreme situations and how can we bring it back when it has been “lost”? In a search to find answers to these fundamental questions, filmmaker Edgar Hagen sets out on a journey through Europe and the United States with a group of unconventional psychiatrists and their clients.

Fundamental to Hagen's discoveries is the "Windhorse" approach of the psychiatrist and Buddhist Monk Edward Podvoll, which is founded on the basic principle that there is a 'healthy core' inside the human psyche and that it is possible, even in the most extreme states of mental breakdown to connect with this healthy core.

This compelling film presents a profound investigation of psychosis and the possible means of recovery from it without succumbing to the fears that the subject of mental illness can provoke. As Hagen points out, this is essential: "We are shocked when a person is shaken to the core and just 'snaps'. But it can happen to anyone, man or woman, rich or poor, young or old."

"This film tells of the human mind going through crisis. I was primarily interested in showing its gradual emergence from the state of mental breakdown rather than the process of disintegrating and spiraling into madness. This was possible by focusing on a visionary approach that draws on ancient knowledge to derive a new outlook and new ways of dealing with all kinds of extreme mental states – and that ultimately concerns every one of us." Edgar Hagen